ing to lie
still and let you be caught and knocked about perhaps."

"There's no time for arguing, Ned. Do as I tell you. There, I'm off."

Ned drew his breath hard, and raised his head a little to note whether
his young master's movements were heard, but though the growth rustled
and crackled a little not a savage stirred, and Jack went on rolling
himself over and over, suffering pretty sharp pain from his bonds, but
setting it at nought, and struggling on till well down out of sight of
the rough camp.

Then he stopped and waited for Ned during what seemed to be quite an age
before the man joined him, breathing laboriously, and then they lay
listening, but all was still.

"Easy enough to escape, sir, if you make up your mind to it."

"But we have not escaped yet, Ned," whispered Jack. "We ought to have
waited till it was dark. Now then, I'll creep close to you. Try and
put your hand in my pocket and take out the little knife I have there."

It was harder to do than either of them had anticipated, and Ned
suffered agony in one wrist as he strained to get at the knife with one
hand, while the other was always in the way and kept it back. At last
though he was successful and held it in triumph, but there was something
more to do, for a closed blade was as bad as nothing.

Still they say "where there's a will there's a way." Certainly there
was will enough here, and by degrees Ned worked himself along so that he
could hold the little clasp-knife to Jack's lips. These parted
directly, so did his firm white teeth, and closed upon the blade, while
Ned drew at the handle, with the result that the blade was opened a
little. Then it was drawn from between Jack's teeth, and closed with a
snap, when the work had to be gone over again.

This time, trembling with excitement and dread lest at any moment the
blacks might miss them, Jack closed his teeth with all his might upon
the narrow portion of the blade awkwardly offered to him, held on at the
risk of the ivory breaking, and Ned drew the handle away slowly, with
the result that the strength of the spring was mastered, the knife half
opened, and this done the rest was easy.

Ned paused for a few moments to wrench his head round and gaze up the
slope toward the savages' camp, then turning to Jack he laid the blade
flat upon the back of his hand, and forced it under the thin cane which
bound his wrists, having hard work to do it in his hampered position
without cut